Illegal to throw goby's back?

[smcs28]

Okay, on a few forums I keep seeing people say that it's illegal to throw them back. I looked up goby's and have yet to find anything OFFICIAL (ie from the ministry) saying that it is illegal to throw them back....

Is it actually illegal? Or is this just something that people believe.....

I have found info about reporting them....but nothing about HAVING to kill them...

 

[Brian]

This is an extract from the regs:

ROUND GOBY
WHAT YOU CAN DO...
• Report new sightings. If you catch a round goby it should be
destroyed and not released back into any waters.
• Always dispose of your unwanted bait and the contents of your
bait bucket or bait bucket water on land or in the trash. It is illegal
to dump the contents of a bait bucket into any waters or within
30 metres of any waters.
• Never use gobies as bait.Itis againstthe lawto use gobies as bait
or have live gobies in your possession

 

[apz245]

it's not illegal to throw them back, however it is generally considered by most anglers good practice to kill and dispose of them, others say it makes no difference..

it is illegal to use them as bait or to throw them from one body of water to another (for example you get some in your minnow trap, take them fishing up north, and when you're done you have some left over and dump em back into the lake up north) that is definitely illegal

 

[smcs28]

This is an extract from the regs:

ROUND GOBY
WHAT YOU CAN DO...
• Report new sightings. If you catch a round goby it should be
destroyed and not released back into any waters.
• Always dispose of your unwanted bait and the contents of your
bait bucket or bait bucket water on land or in the trash. It is illegal
to dump the contents of a bait bucket into any waters or within
30 metres of any waters.
• Never use gobies as bait.Itis againstthe lawto use gobies as bait
or have live gobies in your possession

Okay so it SHOULD be destroyed, but that doesn't mean it's illegal to throw it back. Just trying to get an understanding of this.

You shouldn't throw any fish from one lake into another. That's just a bad idea all around.

 

[rich_ace_G]

It may not be illegal to throw them back in the water but nothing good can result of doing so...unless you like fishing for round gobies.

 

[apz245]

It may not be illegal to throw them back in the water but nothing good can result of doing so...unless you like fishing for round gobies.

x2, i'm not one of those people that believe it doesn't make a difference, I think angler's have somewhat of a responsibility to kill them and not put them back, one less in the water is one less that will survive to breed.

might sound barbaric or like I enjoy killing them but I just want to help the fishery and province that I love

 

[NADO]

not illegal but immoral

 

[Firemonkey]

I usually kill and dispose of any gobies, however, i did read that gobies have helped reduce the zebra muscle population.

Regardless, foreign invasive species are not good for any of our lakes and rivers.

 

[iJay]

I was fishing in burlington. I caught a gobie thru it up on shore.
After a couple mins saw a seagul trying to pick him out of the bush, it did get it up and while in flight the damn bird dropped it back in the water!!!

Ive only ever caught one. Nasty looking

 

[chris f]

haven't seen or got into any goby's for a long time where i'm at, but last time i did catch some just tossed them up on the grass and eventually the gulls came and got it.

 

[usernamehere]

I kill any goby I get from the islands (havnt seen them anywhere else)

HOWEVER.

Do it secretly or else you might get into fights with animal lovers. Had some people harassing me for this, even though I explained that its an invasive species.
I throw them against the ground really hard.

 

[iJay]

^
That might be why people want to fight you..

Just leave em outta water quietly and they will die.

 

[usernamehere]

^
That might be why people want to fight you..

Just leave em outta water quietly and they will die.

Tried this but their gasping and flopping around makes it seem like im torturing them. I prefer to kill them quickly.

 

[FishingNoob]

Tried this but their gasping and flopping around makes it seem like im torturing them. I prefer to kill them quickly.

I agree with iJay, though it is quick it doesn't look good... I just hold on to their tail and smack them discretely against a rock or something hard. My hand is only 4 inches off the ground, it looks like I'm tying my shoe. Just a thought.

 

[BASSMASTER19]

i just put them down and from a foot up drop a big rock on them or feed them to seagulls

 

[usernamehere]

Ok, il remeber to squash them with a rock next time.

I guess smackin them against the ground looks a bit too "barbaric"?

 

[[email protected]]

throw high into the air, if a bird doesn't eat, the hard landing will kill it

 

[FishingNoob]

throw high into the air, if a bird doesn't eat, the hard landing will kill it

I can just imagine the seagulls dive bombing a falling goby...

 

[[email protected]]

I can just imagine the seagulls dive bombing a falling goby...

its half the fun, i used to go down with a size 16 hook and worms, set down in a rocky area and catch gobies til i ran out of worms

 

[Dave Bailey]

A quick knife cut through the spine behind the head should do the trick. Since there's no way they'll survive it, might as well lip 'em and use them as bait. Might technically be illegal, since they'll live for a while, but think of it as a Schrödinger's cat scenario.